Orange Juice/Story
Fondness Story i. Azure House "The waves roll on the azure surface of the sea，and the boat sails drum in the ocean wind." "The seagulls circle around the harbor; there are people playing music on the reef，and there are people playing on the beach." "As the sun sets，the lighthouse seem to be glowing brighter as the night goes on, and the sound of waves resound with the crackling of the bonfire." The customer gently closes his eyes, as if he was immersing himself in his memories. He opens his eyes and greets me with a friendly smile. "Is everything to your satisfaction? Miss Orange Juice." "Of course." After a brief meal，I come back to my senses and set down my plate. "Your ocean is beautiful. Here is a thank you gift." The customer happily accepts and replies with a thank you. This is Azure House’s one unspoken rule. For every customer that comes to dine, they can tell me something about the ocean. If I am satisfied with what they say, they will get a thank you gift. In the end, everyone treats it as Azure House’s selling point. However all of these actually stems from an accidental event, but eventually it got into a habit. Hugging the tray, I was about to turn to leave when I heard the questioning voices of the other customers by my ear. "Why doesn’t Miss Orange Juice go to see the ocean for herself if she is so interested in it?" "Yeah, isn’t it really easy to see the beaches of Gloriville?" "……" These kind of questions come by everyday. My answers are also always very fixed. Blinking, I decided to mimic those cute children, and spoke with a cheeky tone: "Only because one has not seen it, then will there only be yearning, right?" The customers reply with a smile. I know, all I need to do is throw out a logical answer. They don’t actually care about the answer, they only care about the selling point of being able to interact to a beautiful young girl. Yes, that’s right, I like the sea, I really really like it, because every time Master Attendant talks about the ocean, he has a really excited expression, and it never fails to cause me to feel the same way. Repeatedly hearing him bringing the topic up, I, too, had unknowingly developed a yearning for the ocean. Thinking of this, the corners of my mouth tug to form a small smile, but quickly fades away. Because I thought of some other things. "I don’t want……to go see the ocean." Leaning my back against the threshold, I mutter quietly to myself: "I absolutely don’t want to." ii. Memories After Waking From a Dream "Orange Juice, I did it! I have successfully obtained the ground of the seaside." Just like a child, Master Attendant excitedly shakes his fists in front of me. "Congratulations, Master Attendant!" I feel happy for him from within my heart. Since a long time ago, Master Attendant has always been telling me good and beautiful things about the sea, I know how much he wants to open a restaurant on the beach. "Thank you! I will take off tomorrow! Orange Juice, I’m counting on you to take care of this place." "Eh?" The message within Master Attendant's words left me feeling uneasy. Reaching my hand, I try to grab on to his clothes and was about to open my mouth to say something. Suddenly, my head was in severe pain. My body slammed to the floor, and my surroundings started to blur. "Wu… *" T/N: It's a sound you make when you’re crying. Laying on the floor, I clutched tight to the blankets in my hand and buried my face in it. "I hate the sea… the most…" Even though the dream ended, I didn’t want to wake up. "I wish to go with you." Continuing from the dream, I recall back to the situation at that time. "Ah?" Master Attendant looked distracted for a bit, then immediately gave a definite answer."No, Orange Juice, you and the sea… anyways… it’s not suitable." Once again, all I see is darkness. "Who cares about suitability… " When I opened my eyes again, the clock is already past 9:50. I overslept! I dressed myself in a flurry and hurriedly went to the lobby. T/N: I think in this case, lobby means the front of the restaurant where the customers eat. Let’s hope that nothing is affected too much. I bit my lip and thought to myself. I already promised Master Attendant that I would manage this restaurant well anyways. Opening the curtains, I saw someone in the lobby who I never even thought of. "Yo, Orange Juice, good morning." Wearing a suit, Master Attendant leisurely greeted me."Only at this hour are you finally going to……" Master Attendant couldn’t finish his sentence, because I have already thrown myself into his chest. "You finally came back." "Eh?" iii. Hesitation Master Attendant came and left. He only stayed for one afternoon. Time is getting shorter. He would’ve stayed up to three to four days at first. I didn’t even get to tell him how I missed him, and… that question that has been plaguing me for so long. Master… is it because that you hate me, so you didn’t bring me along? "Is the ocean just really that good?" Thinking in this way, I unknowingly started muttering. "Of course the ocean is good." The reply was from a lively male’s voice. Looking over, sitting in front of me is a food soul wearing a white band around his head. I finally came to my senses, it’s still currently work hours! But, without waiting for me to say something in order to cover up this tiny mistake that I made, the food soul in front of me had already started rambling on. "Things like beaches paired with idols, those are the best." "Jello herself even held a concert at the beach a few days ago." "……" After speaking endlessly for some time, this male food soul finally stopped talking, even though he didn’t seem like he wanted to. "This is your thank you gift, the story was very interesting." I had on a complicated expression as I served a drink, and left as he was expressing his thanks. How nice, that kind of like. The kind of like for the ocean, and the kind of like for an idol.* T/N: not sure if it meant idol, but I’m assuming so And me? Do I like the ocean? I don’t know. Once again, Master Attendant’s smiling face floats in front of me, and subsequently faces with other expressions. Happy, sad, nonchalant, serious. And also… Apologetic. Just like a curse. "Sorry, I can’t… " Again and again, lingering. Biting my lip, I use a voice that only I can hear. "The ocean… I hate it the most!" The sun rose and set, and it is now time for a break. Just as I was getting ready to go back to my room, the workers in the restaurant called out to stop me. "Miss Orange Juice, there’s a customer who wants to see you." "Hmm?" I felt slightly surprised, but I still went towards the way that the worker pointed me to. It couldn’t be another one of those ridiculous guys, right? If I say that I wasn’t accustomed to it in the beginning, I’m now used to the existence of secret admirers. It should be some random wandering dude, right? Thinking this way, I open the curtains. The one that greeted me is not one of my secret admirers that I was expecting, but was the food soul that made me feel particular emotions this afternoon. "T-that… ，sorry to bother, Miss Orange Juice." He awkwardly puts a hand behind his head, and apologetically greeted me. "My name is Omurice, and I’d like to talk to you about some things." iv. Introspection It’s not a headache inducing invitation. The thing that Omurice wanted to talk to me about, is something that I’ve never even thought about. "Miss Orange Juice, is there something bothering you?" "Eh?" "When we were talking about the sea, Miss Orange Juice your gaze, it seemed lonely." As he was saying that, Omurice paused, as if he was trying to find a suitable way to say what’s on his mind."I keep feeling like, Miss Orange Juice might have something that’s bothering her." "……" I thought to myself quietly, then spoke in a soft voice."Why does Omurice, think of talking about this?" You’re actually not good at dealing with people, right? I thought this rude judgement from within my heart. "Because Miss Orange Juice is willing to listen to me talk about what I like." Without hesitation, Omurice gave a reply."Miss Orange juice seriously listened when I was talking about Jello, so I’d like to lend an ear to your worries." "Why is it that when the conversation is about the things that we like, Miss Orange Juice would always look so lonely?" At this point, Omurice’s expression gradually gets more serious. Mysterious emotions surge up to my chest, and the me who is never easily blunt, for some reason, I want to put down my mask. Is it the build up from all that time ago, has it finally gotten too heavy? "I like the ocean, but now… the ocean snatched my Master Attendant away." Gathering the thoughts in my head, after much discretion, I let out the tangles in my heart."So now I don’t know, what my feelings towards the ocean are right now." "……What Miss Orange Juice means is, the things you like, snatched away someone that you like, so now you’re unsure, if you still like the thing, right?" Omurice scrunched up his eyebrows and thought for a moment, unconfidently repeated his feelings out loud, then it seemed as though he thought of something and spoke suddenly. "Then have you and that person that you liked talked about it before?" "Eh?" I was stunned for a moment, tracing back my memories, I feel like I have never told Master honestly about this issue. "You must tell the person that you like, even if it’s just a simple sentence, I like you, please spend more time with me." Omurice understood my problem very easily by just looking at my reaction."Just like how I like Jello, even though I’m just a normal food soul, and Jello is the idol of uncountable people." "But even if its like this, I will still stand in front of Jello, loudly proclaim that I like her, please hold my hand, words like these." "Don’t be afraid of all the complicated things." "Tell him that you like him, can he please not ignore you?" "No matter the outcome, you must speak up, then only can the problem be solved!" After sending Omurice off, I stood at the door of the restaurant in deep thought. I think, I know what I should do. Early next morning, I broke certain things that I was stubborn with within my heart, took a leave and took to the road. I want to go to the beach, at the place where I always yearned to go, the place where I was running from my worries, to find Master Attendant, and to tell him my thoughts. The plan stopped unexpectedly. I saw a very exhausted Master Attendant on the roads. "Master?" I haven’t even gotten the chance to express my confusion when he suddenly came over and hugged me tight. "I heard，" Master Attendant’s voice is a bit weak, probably because of his round trip and not getting any rest."Azure House’s “rule”." "Eh?" "I didn’t know… you liked the ocean that much. " Master Attendant patted my back, and spoke with a tone of self blame."I’m sorry, it’s all because of my negligence, I always thought that you’re not close to the sea." "Its not… The problem isn’t… " My brain was a bit confused. I pushed away Master Attendant’s embrace, and spoke in a wronged tone."The problem is not with the sea." "Hmm?" Master Attendant showed an expression of confusion. "Actually I’m not too sure either, how I view the sea." Once again, I put my head in his embrace, thought logically for a moment, and slowly started to be honest with Master Attendant. "At the very beginning, maybe I do like it? Because Master you like it a lot, and from your descriptions how could I hate it?" "I worked hard with you for so long, so that the land by the beach could be bought, but at that moment, you said that I should stay." "Although logically thinking i understand that this is because you have faith in me, but I am still sad." "So sad… just like being abandoned." "You only came back for a handful of times, and the time you stayed always gets shorter." "I like listening to everyone talk about the ocean, because this is the only way that I can have more things that are connected to you." "It’s just that I like you… " "I wish to stay by your side… " In the middle of the road, I hugged Master Attendant and cried without a sound. I finally let out the pressures of my heart after so long. "… Orange Juice." Master Attendant lifted the hand that was on my back, hesitated for a moment, and dropped it back, hugging me even tighter."I’m sorry." v. Orange Juice Gloriville is a country which faces the sea. Here, if am Ocean style restaurant has seafood that is not fresh, that would be a restaurant without a specialty. But Azure House that sits on the inland of Gloriville, comparing with those restaurants, it has a different feeling. It is built inland, has decor that has a Ocean feel, but does not sell seafood. Also, there is a rare young, beautiful lady as a waitress in the restaurant. With all of these little little characteristics put together, it is already enough to attract people’s gazes, but the characteristics don’t just end there. Azure House has one rule, every customer can tell a story to the food soul waitress before ordering their food, even if it was just a small description. As long as it is interesting, there will be a gift. According to rumors, the origins of this rule comes from a traveler who has never seen the sea before and just came to Gloriville. Because Azure House’s decor style aroused his desire to the ocean, he chattered endlessly about his feelings when he first saw the sea. The waitress that listened to him talk did not walk away in annoyance, but gave him a special gift. Ever since, talking about the sea before ordering, this habit slowly stayed and lived on. They say what the owner of Azure House even went to the beach to open another restaurant, and the decor of it is the exact opposite of that of Azure House’s, and is very welcomed at the beach. After all, what a sailor who has been on the seas for a long time wants to see is definitely not the ocean. Of course, these are all words for later. "Miss, miss*, what is this?" In Azure House, a cute little boy looked at a huge sculpture and questioned. T/N: I took the liberty to change big sis to miss because it makes more sense if we’re conversing in English. "This is a sculpture of a great white shark." A food soul in a sailor’s outfit squatted down and patiently told him stories about the sculpture. "Orange Juice still loves the ocean so much." A familiar man* in the shop watched as the scene unfolded and held a small smile. T/N: In this context, think of a man in his 40s++ "Hehe~" Hearing that, Orange Juice lifted her head and gave him a cheeky smile. "Is this an illusion? Somehow it feels like Orange Juice is more cheerful now." In another corner of the restaurant, there are also some people watching this scene and muttering to themselves."Who knows?" At this moment, a male customer who arrived not too long ago asked the question that Azure House was asked the most:"Why does Miss Orange Juice not go to the beach herself to see?" However this time, the thing that made all the regular customers shocked was, Orange Juice’s answer is not the same as before. "Because, I already found it." Orange Juice and her Master Attendant lived a peaceful life for a very long time. Until one day, Master Attendant, whose body is getting older and weaker, called Orange Juice to his side. "It’s almost time for you to leave." "……I still wish to stay by your side and take care of you." "What’s the meaning of being by the side of an old man." "No……" "Okay, okay, that’s enough." Master Attendant waved his hand in the air."Do you understand, Orange Juice? I love the sea, and I love a lot of beautiful things and beautiful scenery." "So… Go take a look for me, go look at further places, see if their seas are more interesting or boring." "Then… come back and tell me, okay?" Orange Juice left Master Attendant, and very quickly found out that travelling is not an easy thing, especially if one wants to find beautiful places. Even if Orange Juice is a hardworking girl, it is unlucky that she* has never travelled far before, so she can’t imagine what it looks like outside of Gloriville, and which places suit Master Attendant’s expectations. T/N: I found it interesting that throughout all 5 parts, the writer used a male/normative “he” to refer to Orange Juice. However, this is the only time that I could find where they specifically used “she”, a female gendered pronoun for her. It may be a typo or it may hold some lore, I’m not sure, just thought that I should point it out. Fortunately, Orange Juice has a plan. "Astral Talent Studio…" Orange Juice muttered to herself thoughtfully, looking at the big poster with a dancing, yellow-haired girl with pigtails, hanging on the front building. Category:Food Soul Story